Collingwood Makes

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Background: This artefact output was part of a larger researcher project called Porous Borders funded by the Belgium Avenue Neighbourhood House (BANH) at Collingwood Estate. The researchers looked at ways to use Creative Practice to enable greater porosity between the estate and the surrounding local community. While Placemaking is established within disciplines such as Landscape Architecture how could the methods and making practices of Industrial Design contribute to, enable and reflect a community?
Contribution: This furniture project called ‘Collingwood Makes’ was intended to be used by estate locals and public at the food markets held on the estate. The 10 tables and 60 stools created were based on different themes that reflected local Indigenous voices, other Estate stories or Collingwood’s rich and diverse history. It was designed to be site specific, create pride and reflect the stories and values of the Estate community. Using narrative and decoration to enable greater amenity beyond functional attributes. The brief was practical, create functional furniture for the Estate market but the challenge was how to manipulate the industrial processes of furniture making to enable storytelling and narrative to reflect community values and history. Industrial processes of digital sign making were experimented with and co-opted to visually express narrative.
Significance: Furniture designers often use material to reflect stories of place but it is rare for graphics to be utilised onto artefacts. Italian designer Fornasetti is a rare example. It is also significant that the works reflect the stories of both Indigenous and diverse communities. Designer maker furniture practice in the context of Melbourne’s design community rarely tells the stories of our diversity that is so commonly reflected in food culture for instance. This is a rare example. It was chosen for Melbourne Design Week 2022 and invited to be exhibited at Collingwood Yards during the event.